Saturday, April 1, 2017

R.I.P.: Detroit Radio Personality Linda Lee Was 55

Linda Lee

Longtime WYCD 99.5 FM broadcaster Linda Lee Young died Friday after a seven-month battle with cancer, the country radio station announced on its website. She was 55.

Young was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in September 2016. The Metro Detroit native, who graduated from the Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts, worked at Ford Motor Co. before joining WYCD’s morning show in 1996,

Lee has spent her 21-year career exclusively in Country radio . Lee started at WYCD in 1994 as an unpaid intern for the morning show, co-hosted by 2015 Country Radio inductee Karen Daelessandro. In 1995, Lee handled part time shifts at crosstown WWWW (W4)/DETROIT, then moved to evenings. She re-joined WYCD in 1996 as morning show producer/co-host and was paired with fellow 2017 inductee, Joe Wade Formicola. Lee segued to afternoons in 1998 and has stayed there since, working with three different on air partners, including current co-host, Rob Stone. Lee and former co-host Chuck Reeves (now WYCD morning host) won the CMA Personality of the Year award in 2011. Lee was honored with a GRACIE Award in 2014 and the Michigan Assn of Broadcasters Personality of Year award in 2010 and 2015.

“My favorite thing about Linda Lee is her tremendous positivity,” Stone said in a statement. “No matter what the situation, Linda always finds a way to put her smiling, optimistic spin on things. If we all were as positive as Linda, the world would be a happier place.”

Survivors include her husband Jeff Young, daughter Gina Holmes Mills, and a stepdaughter.